3,720.4 km divided into 24 stages plus a prologue, ridden at an average speed of 36.513 km/hr.

There were 150 starters and 89 classified finishers.

In winning this, his second Tour de France, Bernard Hinault was the class of the field, taking 7 stages. Hinault lost nearly 4 minutes in stage 9, a day of cobbles. Joop Zoetemelk would have finished far closer in time, but a doping positive in the last stage cost him a 10 minute penalty. Zoetemelk was so superior to the rest of the field that he was still second after the penalty.